New Method Quickly Spots Kidney Damage After Surgery

FRIDAY, March 15 (HealthDay News) -- A potential early indicator
of acute kidney injury has been identified by researchers.

Acute kidney injury is a common and serious complication of
hospitalization. It affects about 6 percent of all hospitalized
patients and 30 percent to 40 percent of adults and children who
undergo cardiopulmonary (heart-lung) bypass surgery, according to
the researchers from the Medical College of Georgia.

They also noted that 10 percent to 15 percent of acute kidney
injuries lead to chronic kidney disease or failure that may require
dialysis or a kidney transplant.

In animal and human studies, the researchers found that a
significant amount of the protein semaphorin 3A is detectable in
the urine within a few hours after acute kidney injury.

The protein is not usually measurable in urine, but it was
rapidly detected in a group of 60 children after they had
heart-lung bypass surgery. High protein levels were about 90
percent accurate at identifying the 26 children with acute kidney
injury.

In these children, levels of the protein in the urine were high
within two hours after surgery, peaked at six hours, and returned
to normal after 12 hours, according to the findings published
recently in the journal
PLoS One.

"Semaphorin 3A appears to be a sensitive biomarker that we believe will give physicians an early and accurate heads up that their patient's kidneys have been injured so that damage can be minimized and potentially reversed with rapid intervention," study corresponding author Dr. Ganesan Ramesh, a kidney pathologist, said in a college news release.

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.